Across the Universe
by Ovo
Summary: In the end, Kaidan never expected to see her again.


**Across the Universe**

In the vastness of space, by the sheer inexplicable luck of having been in the right place at exactly the right time, they had run across the ship by mere mindboggling coincidence. Coincidence, because he didn't believe in fate.

She was adrift in orbit of a small moon, one of several around the unnamed, uncharted planet. Dead in space. It wasn't until they had cut through the hull and boarded that the name of the vessel found its way to Kaidan's lips. Light from the salvage team cut through the darkness, illuminating the ghosts of the ship and crew he once knew and served with, and had never expected to see again.

Tools. Pieces of equipment. Bodies. An empty officer's mug hung precariously motionless within inertia.

Heartsick, Kaidan stepped forward, ignoring the sudden silence that was too loud in his ears. He reached a woman in an officer's uniform, twisted in her harness, neck broken. At his disturbance, she floated limply to the end of her tether, away from him. It wasn't Shepard, but there was no point in being grateful. She would be in here somewhere.

From there, Kaidan opted to walk along the ceiling, mostly above the chaos, surveying the damage. The ship would be worth salvaging whole, if they had the time. While his crew got to work on damage assessment and systems restoration, he let himself be drawn deeper into the ship.

Shepard was in here somewhere.

Following her ghost, he made his way to the armor lockers. Shepard may have been given command of a ship, but she had always been a marine at heart.

He found her.

Lodged between the bulkhead and a console, she was deathly still. Expecting no different, he sighed, reaching out to stroke her cheek. At his touch, she stirred, startling him back; twisting and squinting, she shied away from the light. It was a meager effort, exceeding all hope.

"We've got survivors," he whispered into his com., finally remembering to breathe. Suddenly, he didn't doubt there were others. Those who managed to strap in. Those who'd managed to suit up. Still living, still breathing despite the increasingly precarious mix of atmosphere. "Get a medical team down here."

Dimming his light, Kaidan braced himself against the bulkhead. She had strapped into her harness, her tether twisted tight around one arm. He cut her free, loosening her grip on the cord; as he extracted her from the alcove, she let go entirely, and draped her arms around his neck.

He half carried her, she half-drifted alongside him, back the way he had come. Once they had rejoined his crew, he paused long enough to obtain a kit from one of his medics and sign them further in.

As soon as they were through the airlock, Shepard collapsed, pulled to her knees by the sudden shift in gravity. Kaidan dropped with her, controlling her decent against the wall, setting her down as gently as he could. Crouching beside her, he set the medkit aside and gently pried her hand off his shoulder. Swallowing, breathing in deep breaths of properly recycled air, she watched him with glazed, half-dead eyes.

Not dying – the opposite. Coming back from the edge.

He undid the seals on his helmet. Watching him skeptically, too exhausted to move, Shepard froze as he pulled off the helmet and set it aside. Her guarded apprehension melted into sheer astonishment. Kaidan closed his eyes as she reached out, and held his breath as her fingers brushed against her cheek.

"_How...?_" Her voice scratched, and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Doesn't matter."

Her hand slid behind his neck, and he felt the whole of her weight pulling him off-balance. He managed to catch one hand against the wall, braced above her. Her mouth found his in a desperate kiss bleeding longing and heartache.

As quickly as it had begun, Shepard pulled away, shrinking under him.

"Where are we?" the commander demanded, glancing wildly at the salvagers-turned-rescuers hustling back and forth through the airlock, at the unfamiliar decontamination chamber, at him.

"Safe." Kaidan carefully eased down, leaning back against the wall beside her. "For now." Gently, he pulled her towards him before working to open the medkit. Resting her head against his knee, she watched his men work, wide-eyed. "Relax, Shepard."

He ran his fingers through her hair; she sighed and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Working Title<strong>: _Across the Universe_

**Inspiration**: Plotbunny from last year, musing up how to outmaneuver the Reapers without an off switch or a straight up fight. I'd set it aside, but the Kiss Battle Prompt below rekindled it.

**Prompt**: _FemShep/Kaidan: I have crossed oceans of time (space?) to find you._

**Noteworthy**: Title inspired by Sbarge's Beatles comment.

**Disambiguation**: There is a ton of story to this, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to writing it.

**Published**: On the Mass Effect Kiss Battle (March 4th, 2012), LiveJournal.

_Derivative work of material ©_ BioWare, _Electronic Arts._


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